With the hefty price Boston paid to get Kyrie Irving, how the trade will be judged boils down to one very important question. Will Kyrie become a franchise player?
Many people consider Kyrie Irving to be a marginal, at best, upgrade over Isaiah Thomas at this point in their careers. With that considered, why would the Boston Celtics be willing to give up one of the better 3-and-D players, on one of the best contracts in the association in Jae Crowder, a center with upside in Ante Zizic, and a Brooklyn pick that is guaranteed top-8 next year, and is most likely a top-5 pick in addition to Thomas?
Throw in the 2nd rounder because of the supposed larger than expected hip issues, and Cleveland looks like they made out like bandits. However, there are a couple things to consider before saying Boston definitely lost the trade.
One, there is no guarantee the player Cleveland gets out of the pick turns out to be great. Despite it being highly likely right now, there is still a chance it doesn’t work out.
The second one is how Irving will develop his game in this new system. Boston and Cleveland vary greatly on the kind offenses they run. In Cleveland it was always LeBron or Irving setting it up, and ball-movement didn’t seem to be preached very much.
More from Hardwood Houdini
- Boston Celtics’ two-way contract decision will be made after training camp
- Proposed trade sends Boston Celtics playoff killer to the Cs from rival
- ‘Face of Germany’s stunning run’ in FIBA World Cup not the only ex-Boston Celtics player to win gold
- Proposed Boston Celtics trade target pitched for reunion with fired coach
- Battle For Banner 18: Will Boston Celtics battle historical foe in 2024 Finals?
In Boston, Brad Stevens is the poster child for team basketball. Anyone who can handle and pass the ball will. Any one who is mobile will be moving.
In this offense, Irving can break some of the bad habits that have plagued him for years. He won’t be asked to go into ISO nearly as often and will be able to better showcase his skills. His assist numbers likely won’t increase that much, if at all, but it won’t be for lack of facilitating. The Celtics offense is predicated on everyone being able to find the open man, not just the point guard.
On defense, Irving won’t be able to get by with just coasting anymore either. Boston defense demands everyone give as much effort as they can, especially the lead guard up top. Stevens will not be happy if Irving doesn’t give effort on that end, and Irving will get less playing time as a result.
All signs point to Boston being the ideal place for Irving to reach his potential. Now, in an offense set up to better showcase his abilities, Irving should flourish even more on that end of the floor. On defense, don’t expect Irving to get by with lack of effort anymore. Stevens will make sure he puts in work.
Don’t expect everything to come together right away though. There will be periods where Irving falls back into old habits and gets chewed out for it. There is still a lot of gelling to do with the rest of the team.
Next: Brad stevens Continues to be Boston's Best Asset
After the growing pains however, my bet is Irving will be worth the price paid to get him.